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12/13/2012

The Texas Rangers really never did want Josh Hamilton back

FORT WORTH, Texas - When the Texas Rangers 2012 holiday media luncheon at a hotel in dowtown Fort Worth began on Thursday afternoon, the questions for GM Jon Daniels and team president Nolan Ryan focused on where the team was in regards to free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton.

By the time the luncheon was done, roughly 70 minutes later, Josh Hamilton was a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Orange County. He agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal. Josh Hamilton may not work for NASA any time soon, but he was smart enough to sign this contract.

"I did want Josh back," Daniels said. "We hesitated in going long term. There is no sugar coating it. We lost some talented players from last year's club. We now have to go back and look at other options."

Although I don't blame either side in this move, selfishly I am bummed he left - he is a lot of fun to watch.

An offseason the Rangers supposedly were going to win now has them finally dumping Michael Young, who apparently was the devil, losing out on Zack Greinke in a bidding war with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles, whiffing on an attempted deal to land Arizona OF Justin Upton, and now seeing Hamilton leave as a free agent to a division rival.

The Rangers may have said they wanted Josh, but don't buy it. If the Rangers really wanted Josh back, as they said, they would have signed him.

What they wanted was Josh Hamilton on their own terms, which is their right. It was also Josh's right to say, "No thanks."

The fact he never gave the Rangers the chance to match the Angels' offer tells you that Josh really did not want to come back, either.

It's better for both to move on. The Rangers maximized their relationship with Josh, who in turn used his time in Texas to become a national baseball star. Josh should always be celebrated for what he did with the Rangers. There are no consecutive World Series appearances without his production.

The Rangers were tired of worrying about Josh, and the strain it created on the club.

As much as his talent and production were worth the worries, at some point you say, "We can find somebody else to hit home runs."

Josh was equally wise to bolt. He owed it to himself to maximize this opportunity. He can go somewhere else and get a fresh start, and perhaps not be a burden to his club in any way. And it's not as if he signed with the Marlins - the Angels are competitive and are going to be around it for years. The lineup with Hamilton, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols is stupid loaded.

What do the Rangers do now?

"I am sure Vegas may not like our chances right now," Daniels told me. "It's going to be the sum of the parts and I still like this team."

Comments

It is likely that the Angeles told Josh that they would go 5-years at $25 million per year if he would agree to sign immediately. I doubt that they want to let him run back to the Rangers and see whether they would match it. So, I believe Daniels when he says that Josh didn't get back to him.

Daniels mouthed off "the organization did things for Josh, private things, things that weren't made public." That statement right there tells you there were more than the two public incidents that everyone knew about. I surmise that it is ok as long as the Rangers get the player for the years and amount of money they want. Daniels has to know that when you have a player of Josh's magnitude he is going to get the years and the money he wants. If the Rangers truly wanted him then they could have signed him when he was under their control. Josh would have signed that deal with the Rangers last year at the beginning of the year, had it been offered. I really don't care where the guy plays.

Daniels mouthed off? Hamilton is an ice cube waiting to melt down completely. He isn't worth the drama day in and out. How long is Pujois gonna sit there and wonder why this guy needs a 24 hr nursemaid to keep him straight and what makes him better than him?

He isn't worth the money, is a total attitude problem, and ain't all that. He's the Angel's headache now. He is crazy lucky he is going to be batting around/near Pulous. If it wasn't for that he would be a total bust.

Love how Daniels played this. That's how you get rid of a popular player, by making it look like it's the player's fault and acting like a victim. Takes all the fans' anger off the GM and deflects it to the player. Guess the only money the Rangers will spend is on building more concession stands and clubs at the ballpark to get more money out of the fans while they sit on that pile of TV cash they're getting.

The Rangers saved Hamilton's life and gave him a chance to develop into the star he is today. But Josh is fragile -mentally and physically and it will be interesting to see how the glitz and high life of L.A. plays with his head. Angels didn't make the playoffs last year and their overloded payroll will misfire again this year. By the way, did Josh's agent tell him California has a state income tax of 13.5% and Texas does not? That's $3.4M a year Josh!

I got so sick of watching this idiot trying to golf balls in the dirt and a foot outside, and fling his bat into the stands repeatedly I used to switch channels when he came up facing the lefty. It was a foregone conclusion he was going to whiff on 3 pitches, so I'd switch to some prerecorded golf or football while he batted. He quit on his team, his fans, and his teammates, and I am glad he and Young are gone. Those two, along with their enabler Ron Washington, GAVE the division to Oakland. Washington needs to be fired too, and I believe he will if we get off to a slow start. Hitting Young 5th for 5 months, with his lack of production, was not just a firing offense, it should have criminal charges attached to it. PATHETIC!

After the season few fans wanted to see him return. Now that he's signed with the Angels there seems to be an uproar against Daniels. All the Hamilton issues are still there. How much greater are the temptations in LA? Will his new teammates put up with the coddling? When he slumps how quick will the boo birds come out? My prediction is he will fall off the wagon within the next 2 years and thus the saga of Josh will end. Fortunately it will be Moreno eating the salary and not the Rangers.

Rangers blew what? Josh became an unrestricted FA after the last out against the Orioles. He wasn't ours to lose anymore. Hamilton blew it last Winter when he fell off the wagon and the FO tabled extension talks. I commend the Rangers for having the guts and foresight to let him go. The only thing Daniels did wrong was act "surprised" when Josh Hamilton took his best offer as an unrestricted FA.